Saul
Saul Shell Baco was a Hutt general who secured control of Hutt Space during the Crescendo Era and became the leader of the Hutt Clans. His rule brought a reunification to Hutt Space and an enlightenment to its inhabitants. His efforts of militarization brought a new level of comfort and security to Hutt Space which made him very popular among the non-Hutt species and a bitter enemy among the Hutt criminal syndicates. However his alliance with the Mandalorians, coupled with his personal allegiance of the Hutt Fleet, made any attempt of disposing him a herculine task. He died as the greatest military commander in Hutt history, and one of thier greatest historic leaders. History Early Life (176 ABY-306 ABY) Born on Circumtore to the Shell Hutt clan just a year after the great debacle of the Hutt War, Saul was an odd wormling. He was a great descendant of Parella Jiramma Baco, a member of the Jiramma clan who was known as The Hunter since he enjoyed hunting down his own prey. It became evident early in his childhood that Saul had inherited that same hunter's instinct. His infancy was relatively uneventful. Like most Hutts, he spent his first 50 years of life in his parent's pouch. Once he emerged, he was raised by his parent and taught about the great Hutt War and the glorious empire that was once Hutt Space. His parent was proud of his huttling but slightly disturbed as well. Unlike most Hutts, Saul did not show a lust for wealth and credits. Instead he had a preoccupation for all things military. He would often spend hours listening to military studies and ancient battles. He found great interest in following all the news of the Iridonia crisis and actions of the Black Sun Fleet. Throughout the years he would follow the events of each war with great care, studying the errors that were made. Yet beyond his disconcerting interest in the military, his physical health was also in question. His body struggled to put on weight due to the regular sparring lessons he put himself through. Because of this, most of his fellow Hutts thought the boy was doomed to live his life a servant to more prosperous Hutt lordas. Joining the Military (306 ABY-330 ABY) However, Saul was not a stupid Hutt. Like all his other brethren, he too wanted power. Yet he sought his through means of military force. He finally came of age in 306 ABY, now 130 years old. He had studied the wars of old and new and was convinced that the way to true power was through force. Rather than building a criminal empire of his own as was Hutt tradition, he joined the pitiful excuse of a military that the Hutts maintained to protect their territory. Unlike the forces that rallied to the cause of Black Sun or the Zann Consortium, the provincial Hutt military was little more than a home garrison. Most Hutt clans kept their fleets for their own personal power. In times of need, the Hutt Council will call forth the might of these private fleets. However, they always kept a small reserve for sector security. They answered only to the Hutt Council and spent most their time in remote garrisons or boring sector patrols. Saul poured his energy into the rag tag band and formed it into a highly organized and competent force. Most of its members were non-Hutts, humanoid allies that had sworn their fealty to the Hutt clans generations ago in the Treaty of Vontor. Saul spent years expanding this force. Slowly he acquired ships from the other clans and sometimes from allied Hutt worlds. By the time of the Sith Purges, the Hutt Clans still relied upon the strength of their private fleets, but the Council now enjoyed the added benefit of having Saul’s fleet added to that pool. The Council allowed him to take a portion of his taskforce in aid to the Zann Consortium as they attacked Coruscant. It was there that Saul got his first real taste of battle. Afterwards the Hutt Council gave him a warm return and several clans offered new ships to his fleet. Earning His Stripes (330 ABY-333 ABY) The Zeltros affair brought the Hutts into yet another war, again backing the Zann Consortium against the GA. Saul quickly found himself wrapped up in the Syndicate wars and was fighting alongside both Black Sun and Zann Consortuim operatives. Soon his keen mind for strategy and tactics became apparent as his fellow allies worked with him. The Zann Consortium leadership started putting him in command of raiding forces as they attacked Taris and Mandalore. His skill greatly aided their success, and he was eventually put in charge of one of the taskforces for the assault on Kashyyyk which ultimately led to the decimation of the Jedi Temple. However the Jedi had simultaneously attacked Nal Hutta. Saul regretted not being there to command the home fleet, but he was also grateful to avoid an early demise. The Zann Consortium continued to use Saul in the fore front of their offensive operations as the war escalated, much to the dismay of the Hutt Council, especially when GA wiped out a sizable portion of their fleets around Nar Shaddaa. When the Jedi captured Dressa Diori, the leader of the Hutt Clans, everyone knew the end was nigh. The Syndicate fleets began to fall apart. Everything ended with the Consortium’s surrender. Saul and his taskforce were granted amnesty by Chief of State Li’klen, along with all the other members of the Syndicate. Building A Dream (333 ABY-600 ABY) Once again Saul had to rebuild the Hutt Fleet. But now he had a core of veterans to build upon. Soon Saul’s task-force-turned-home-fleet developed into a true navy with a complete land army as well. He set up garrisons and outposts throughout what was now Hutt Space. Soon his navy grew into several small fleets, his army into several planetary assault task forces. All the Hutt clans soon realized the great accomplishment Saul had achieved and quickly named him a Hutt General for his accomplishments. Yet the Hutt clans were weary of Saul's power, and the Hutt Council knew that he had to be checked before he tried to instill himself as a dictator. Thus they created a military triumvirate that would command their new army. Three Hutt generals would share command of the military force. Of course Saul was one of the three, but now his decisions would have to be agreed upon by the other two. Effectively the Hutt Council had cut off his rapid climb to power. Regardless, Saul was still a larger than life figure for the Hutt people and enjoyed popular support not only from the Hutt populace, but from all the subjugated species of Hutt Space. During his military career he waged war against unsanctioned pirates and slavers, put down numerous revolts, and quickly brought an end to the Sakiyan-Gank war. His actions actually brought stability to Hutt Space. Some of the Hutt lordas suffered from Saul's efforts though. Many independent criminal factions were becoming afraid to operate in Hutt Space due to their increasing military presence and now standard searching procedures. However, the Hutt clans managed to prosper from an elevated standard of living among its peoples and in turn, a richer economy. Losses in criminal business were supplanted with new taxes. Smuggling and gambling were still the national past times of the Hutts, but now they did so in a way that was almost respectable. Now in the wake of the Mandalorian's defeat, Saul is entertaining the idea of a great campaign. The GA is weak and vulnerable. Saul only needs to get the agreement of the other two Hutt Generals in order to begin his vision of Hutt conquest. Legacy Saul became one of the greatest Hutt leaders in galactic history, and with out a doubt was their best military leader ever. His equals were the fabled whispered names such as Thrawn, Ackbar, and Cassus Fett. He was also a skilled gladiator and was one of the few Hutts to actually lead his troops on the battlefield. However his greatest legacy was the prosperity and growth he brought to the worlds of Hutt Space. Personality and Traits Saul was passionate about the military and its various aspects. He enjoyed studying about naval vessels, ground vehicles, historic battles, and legendary commanders. He was perhaps a megalomaniac as he perceived himself as the greatest military commander of all time, though there was a chance he was right. Beyond the theoretical concepts of war, he also enjoyed physcial combat, be it hand-to-hand or ship-to-ship. Among his personal posessions was a vast collection of weaponry, both antique and modern. He excelled as both a tactician and strategist. The addition of these two traits to his bustling charisma made him a natural leader. His military roots made him dismissive of cowards, pacifists, and the Galactic alliance, due to the bad history between the GA and the Hutts. He was also impatient, unforgiving, and short tempered, some even called him 'over' aggressive. His greatest fear was being disgraced in battle or dying a civilian's death. Regardless, he was well like by the majority of his populace and was considered a hero. Appearances: *Nar Shaddaa: Bucket Heads and Slugs: A Meeting with the Mandalore and the Hutts *Nar Shaddaa: Empire of Worms *Nar Shaddaa: Pillaging the Periphery *Nar Shaddaa: Council of Worms See Also *Hutt Empire Behind the Scenes Saul is a Shell Hutt but instead of wearing the typical armor cylinders that the Shell Hutts wear, he wears a suit of Hutt Battle Armor. Category:Crescendo Category:Characters Category:Hutts